Struggle
by Shadow Rose14
Summary: She felt death taking her, dragging her away. But after one thought she begins to fight. A struggle for her life ensues, is fate on her side? Two shot. Plz R
1. Chapter 1

They sky was grey and cloudy, threatening all with the possibility of rain. The wind was cold and unforgiving, chilling anyone to the bone. The weather truly matched the mood of the fight going on at the moment.

Emerald eyes gazed with determination and defiance as the owner was once again punched, her frail body flying into a tree. With a sickening crack, the girl fell to her side, coughing as more blood poured from her mouth. She was hurt, that was obvious. Bruises littered her body, along with many scratches and deep gashes that leaked blood all over her, dripping to the floor to stain the soil. Her sakura blossom colored hair had been stained in some spots with the crimson liquid that covered her.

But not all of her wounds were external. She coughed and flinched as the bitter metallic taste of blood exploded into her mouth. She gasped as she choked up the blood. She had definitely punctured a long, maybe both. She had a few cracked ribs, and a sprained wrist and ankle. She thought one of her pinkies were broken, along with one of her toes. The pain was so much that it blended, and she didn't know exactly what was hurt anymore. She was chakra deficient and numb. The coldness didn't help.

She looked up at her attacker with a swollen eye, and smirked as she managed to sit up. It hurt like hell, she would admit that, but she would not let herself succumb to the ninja that towered over her.

"She is still trying to get up, why won't she learn to just stay down," the ninja sneered as he looked over at his friend. The other just shrugged and leaned against a tree, the only one in the near vicinity that she hadn't been thrown into. That changed when he grabbed her by her already ripped red shirt, and flung her. The boy leaning against the tree just sighed, and moved before the pink haired girl came into contact with the tree.

She yelped as yet another horrible crack emitted from her, and she knew that she had cracked yet another rib. She gasped as she tried to fight the string of coughs that blinded her, and once again she was vomiting up blood. She would die soon, she knew that. She had lost too much blood, and surely the injuries she had gathered would not be able to be healed quick enough to save her. She needed a miracle, but there was no one for her. All of her friends were on other missions or at home, and she had been sent on a solo one. The chances of help showing up, even though she was already passed her deadline, where one in a million, and obviously the odds were against her.

"Just tell us what you figured out when you were in the town, we know you were sent there to gather information," her assailant picked her up again by her shirt. She just looked at him with dull eyes. She could hardly breathe, talking was definitely not an option.

"Just let her go, she's going to die soon enough anyways," the one that hadn't laid a hand against her said. Her attacker just looked at her, and rolled his eyes. With one last kick to her stomach that sent her towards the edge of the clearing, the two ninja departed leaving her for death to come and take her away.

'No Sakura, try, try to live' she said to herself, looking for any chakra she had left. She was out of luck. She cursed the two ninja. If she had just taken them out rather then run she might have had a chance. But she couldn't go back in time, so she was stuck to suffer the consequences, all of which she wished she could change.

She starred up at the tree tops, the sun had come out for the moment and shined through the branches on to her. Maybe if she hadn't of been dying she would have enjoyed the sight, but just as that thought passed so did the wonderful moment. She was back to looking at the grayness beyond the trees.

The wind made her shiver, the action hurting her sore body. She was brought back from her thoughts, and decided to survey the damage. Blood loss was the major factor, if she had been near a medic then she would have had the option of life, but she wasn't near one and she couldn't heal herself. She guessed that she had about fifteen minutes to a half an hour left, and then she would close her eyes for the last time.

She felt what ever warmth she had slipping away from her body, the numbness getting worse. She felt like millions of pins were now poking into her, pins that she couldn't remove. She sighed as she turned her attention back to the sky, she had about fifteen minutes, she wanted to at least try to enjoy it.

She felt herself slipping away. She could feel her time coming. How odd it felt to know that you were dying, but almost feeling completely fine with it. She knew it was time, and she knew she couldn't fight it.

She felt herself falling into the darkness, her vision was starting to slowly fade. She felt the icy grip of death taking her, dragging her farther and farther away into the abyss. But the numbness stopped whatever fear she should have been feeling. For the first time in her life she felt like not fighting, just giving up.

'Goodbye everyone' she said to herself, 'goodbye…….Naruto' she felt a realization within her, as she remembered him, remembered all the times he had saved her, told her to never give up. She felt something click inside of her, and she began to fight, the fear overwhelming her. She didn't want to die, she wanted to see all of her friends again, to be with them, to be with Naruto.

She felt the numbness disappear, and then pain engulfed her, sending her body into turmoil. She held back the scream that had caught in her throat, but she couldn't bare it. The scream tore from her throat with such fierce she was coughing up whatever was in her throat, and the bitter taste of blood flooded her senses. It hurt so much, but the pain told her she was alive, but hopefully it would tell her she would live.

She struggled to breathe, to heal herself with whatever energy she had. She dove deep into herself and drew out strength she never knew she had, even though it was very little. Expanding it as much as she could, she healed the wounds that hadn't stopped bleeding. She could only heal them enough that the crimson liquid that had poured from the wounds earlier would stop soon, but she still had the problem of her lung. She had to stop her eternal bleeding, or she was done for.

'Come on Sakura. COME ON!' she screamed to herself. She tried to find any energy at all, any chakra to help her. She dove deeper, searching her subconscious, but she couldn't find anything.

She was desperate, she had to do something. She pushed past her limits, and found a small stream of chakra, but it wasn't hers. She didn't care. Desperate people did desperate things she guessed.

She dove into the chakra, taking it into her body in a way she never knew possible, but it didn't matter. She took the chakra and put it to work, but it didn't work as well as hers. All she would be able to manage to do was stop the bleeding, but she wouldn't be able to empty the lung of the blood that filled it, or put back the rib that had punctured the lung in the first place. She would just have to heal around it, if she could stop the bleeding maybe she could make it.

She felt tiered as the chakra she was using began to diminish, but she wasn't completely done. 'Just a little more' she thought to herself as she struggled to stretch the last bit, and she sighed in relief when she found that the major bleeding had stopped. Now she had to leave the rest up to fate, hopefully her chance wasn't one in a million.

She felt herself falling back into the darkness, but it was different this time. The numbness that overtook her left her completely void of feeling, but it didn't feel like pins sticking into her. 'Maybe I made it' she said to herself as she saw her teammate's face flash in her mind, his goofy grin urging her willingness to live. 'Please' she begged to any higher power listening to her, 'please let me live' she pleaded, and with that final thought she drifted off into the unconscious world, completely slipping into the darkness as she fell into a sleep that she hoped she would wake up from.


	2. Chapter 2

She felt herself floating. It wasn't the same feeling as if she was floating in water, she didn't feel the gentle currents flowing over her body. No, she felt like she was just simply there, floating in the air. She felt the numbness still all over her body, and it didn't show signs of fading.

'Am I dead' she asked herself. She hoped to god she wasn't, she couldn't be dead. She wanted to see all of her friends again. She saw memories flash through her mind of all the times she had been with her friends. From the academy days to current times, she remembered it all. Of the times she had hung out with Ino, as rivals and friends. Of the times she had spent running from Lee and his affection, to hanging out with Hinata and Ten Ten as she grew older. Of all the times she had spent with the rookie nine and Ten Ten's team.

The last she saw were all the memories of her and team seven, in the early days when they were just starting. From the stupid bell test they had nearly failed, to the battle with Zabuza, and then the painful betrayal as Sasuke had left them all. How he had left her, and not only that, but had left her on a bench with just a simple 'thank you' as a goodbye.

Then finally she saw Naruto, his yellow hair and clear cerulean eyes. She saw his grin that always made her light up. She wanted more then anything to see him again, her teammate, her friend that had been with her from the beginning. She wanted to see that grin again. She hadn't seen it for almost two and a half years, and she wanted so bad to see it once again, so she knew she had to hang on. She absolutely _had_ to.

She felt the numbness start to fade, and she felt how tight her chest had been. For the first time in what felt like ages she was taking a breath, but it was a sharp breath that sent her into a spasm of coughs. She felt the tension in her chest get worse as she coughed out an unknown substance that filled her throat. When she thought that she couldn't take it anymore, she took in a long deep breath that eased the hurt in her chest, filling her aching lungs with the air they so craved.

She felt completely at ease. All pressure and numbness had left her body, and now all she had to focus on was figuring out where she was. The same odd feeling of floating in nothingness consumed her, and she felt somewhat scarred.

'I need to get out of her' she said to herself as she focused on opening her eyes. They felt like lead bricks, she just couldn't open them. She tried and tried, but all her efforts seemed to go to waste. Her eyes wouldn't open. 'Come on' she said to herself as she tried to work any part of her body. She couldn't move a muscle. She began to panic as she forced herself to move, but to no avail.

'No…….what's wrong' she asked herself. She couldn't be….dead. No she couldn't, she wouldn't allow it. She had to see her friends again, she had to see Naruto. She needed to see his grin, to yell at him when he did something stupid. She wanted it all to go back to normal. There was no way she could be dead!

She felt something around her change, like a bunch of energy had just entered the nothingness that surrounded her. She could feel it all around her, somehow soothing her. She knew somehow that something was happening. At first it felt like she was just floating still, but then she could fell something flowing over her skin.

She felt it moving faster over her, like she was gaining speed. She could feel her hair flying around her as everything around her came more into sense. She found she could wiggle her fingers, her toes, she could even slightly move her wrist.

The movement was getting faster and faster, it felt like it was taking her breath away from her, stealing whatever air she would have been able to breathe. Once again she was overwhelmed by the pressure in her chest. Her lungs were screaming at her to breathe, to take in any air she could. She tried to, she struggled with the task her lungs were forcing on her, but no matter what she tried she couldn't. The pain in her chest was getting worse and worse.

She thought she was done for, her lungs seemed like they were going to burst. She felt an odd sensation run through her, like a stream of energy passing through her, and instantly she was hurling in a different direction. She sputtered as she breathed in air, taking in as much as she could to fill the deprived organs in her. She gulped it in, appreciating every breath like it would be her last.

When she finally calmed the need to take in as much oxygen as possible, she could feel that something was different. She felt the rushing around her slow, and as quickly as it all had began the rushing air stopped. Her hair stopped hitting her face as she was thrown through the nothingness that consumed her. She landed on something hard, her head slamming back against an even harder object. She felt the small sensation of pain run through her, but then it was gone.

Slowly she forced one eye lid open, and then the other. Just that one task seemed to take forever. She almost had to pry them open with her fingers, well if she could have. She held back a gasp as she looked at the area around her. It felt like she hadn't seen anything in ages. All the colors seemed new to her, like she was a new born taking in its first glimpse of the world. Everything seemed so beautiful, even though a heavy fog covered and blurred a lot of it. She looked up at the sky and still saw it was just as grey and gloomy as it had been when she had passed out.

Her mind snapped to realization as she remembered that she had been fighting those ninja, how they had turned the tables on her, how she had almost died. She reached in herself for her chakra so she could evaluate her wounds, but found she still hadn't regained any back. 'That battle really wiped me out' she said as she struggled to sit up. She found that controlling her body was a lot easier then trying to get her eyes open.

She starred at the tattered clothing she wore, and the healing wounds. It obviously must have rained, and it had cleared all blood from her body. She couldn't even feel the broken bones in her. 'I must have healed them more then I thought' she said to herself as she forced herself to stand.

After a few attempts of falling, and ramming into the ground face first, she had managed to stumble over to at tree. Using it for support, she had managed to stand. She stood for a moment, her legs shaking under her weight as tremors shot through her arms. Gravity wasn't on her side today. She felt like she weighed a million tons. Slowly she took one step, then another, and then another. She braced herself on trees and branches for the first few minutes of her traveling, but then managed to walk on her own.

'I'm recovering quicker then I thought' Sakura said to herself, her emerald eyes bright as she took in the cloudy world around her. She brushed back the strands of her pink hair that had fallen out of place after her first attempts of walking, and took off in a slow stride. She had to get to Konoha quickly. She was still out of chakra, so she hoped fate was still on her side, and wouldn't let her run into any more surprises. She highly doubted that fate would let her live again.

She heard a quiet sniffing sound, and then a couple others. She stood still and listened. It sounded like someone was crying or laughing. She tried to locate the people that were near, wondering if she should go check it out or not. She wouldn't be happy to run into any more rogues, especially if they were depressed or extremely happy.

After a minute of thinking about it she decided to check it out, her curiosity winning. She had to go in that direction anyway. Slowly she set off, taking her time to make sure she was as quiet as possible. She didn't want to surprise whoever was there.

As she got closer she heard some murmuring. She tried to listen in but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She thought she picked up the occasional 'why' but that was all. It just further toyed with her curiosity, and she moved faster.

The people were getting clearer and clearer as she moved towards their direction. By the sounds she guessed there were only a few people, like two or three. It was when she heard startled gasps that she figured more people had entered the surroundings. She could hear a few brake out into strangled cries of anguish. It wrenched her heart. No one should cry like that.

She got closer and closer, the sobs and quiet murmuring getting louder and louder. She could see the break in the trees, and when she stepped into the clearing she wished she hadn't. She fell back against a tree, the tree the only thing causing her not to fall.

A strangled sound escaped through her lips. It killed her to look at the scene she saw in front of her. Everyone, the whole group, she knew them all. They cried, tears streaming down their faces. Sadness and anguish adorned all of their faces, causing her heart to tear. She looked at what they looked at in the middle of the group.

It was him, her blond teammate. His own eyes were looking down, a torn expression in them as he cried, a river of tears. Anguish, sadness, pain, all of it distorted his face as he clutched something to his chest, strangled cries escaping his lips as he tried to bear with what he held.

It was her, cold and lifeless. Her skin was so pale, ghostly, the color of death. Her body was still covered with the many wounds she had received from the fight and her blood. But she looked so peaceful. It completely didn't portray what she felt. She felt her heart tear, ripping as she starred at the scene. She couldn't be dead.

Tears welled in her eyes, and slowly they fell down her face. She struggled over to the group, and nearly screamed out in sadness when she found that she passed through her friends as she moved past them. She fell to her knees and arms, panting as sobs wracked her form. She lifted her head and looked at the pain torn face of her blond teammate.

She reached her hand out, and touched first her face. She could feel it, the coldness. It seeped into her, chilling her, but she could hardly feel it. She reached her hand up towards her blond friend, and screamed in agony as her hand passed right through his cheek. She grabbed the grass under her in fistfuls, her sobs sending tremors through her as she cried.

"Sakura please, please don't be gone. Please I need you, please don't be gone," Naruto repeated it like mantra. How he wished it would come true. He couldn't cope with the fact she was gone, even though he held her lifeless body in his hands. He could barely suppress the screams that wanted to rip out of him. All he felt was pain and rage welling up in him. He would find who killed her, and he would kill them. He would kill them bring them back and kill them again. He could never forgive who had done this.

"Naruto," she choked as she looked up at him. She clenched the grass in her fists as she let more tears fall. She was really dead, and she would never be able to be with any of them ever again, she would never be able to be with him.

"Please god, please. Just do this one thing for me, just this once," she pleaded as she wished over and over. She just needed one more chance, just once more. She just needed to see him smile, to see that grin, to hear his voice not racked in sobs. She just wanted to say her last goodbyes. "You took my life away! Just give me this one wish!" she cried out.

She felt something around her, and it sounded as if someone sighed. She felt a slight tingle in her hands, and slowly she reached her hands up. She hesitated, looking at the blonds face, but slowly patted his cheek. For a moment everything went black, and she felt herself being thrown threw something. When her vision cleared she was looking into the startled eyes of her teammate.

"Sakura," she heard the breathless gasp come from him, and many others. Along with her body he flung himself at her, taking her in his arms. She felt her body being squeezed, and almost cried out with happiness. She would get her wish.

She gently pried herself from him, and stood. She looked at the others, tears still streaming down her face. She opened her mouth to talk, but found she couldn't. That didn't bother her, she would talk when the time came.

She embraced them all, each one clutching onto her, not wanting to let go. But they had to. She stood before them all, and looked at Naruto. He laid her body down on the floor, and stood. He looked at her, his eyes red from crying and glassy with still more unshed tears. She just smiled and fell into his arms.

"Please, smile for me," she whispered as she looked at him. He looked at her with a puzzled expression, but smiled. For the moment all he could feel was a surge of happiness to see her there, in his arms, but the happiness vanished. She was dead. Sakura just smiled, she had seen his smile, a smile just for her.

"Sakura, why?" he chocked out as another giant lump formed in his throat. They starred at each other, but it had to end just like everything in the world. She could feel the tug on her, and she knew her time was running out.

"I'm sorry Naruto. It's my time," she choked out as she tried her hardest to suppress the tears.

"No you can't go!" Naruto yelled as he threw his arms around her. He gasped as he found that they went straight through her. She just closed her eyes quickly, and slowly opened them. She brought her hand up to his cheek, and sighed when it didn't completely go through him. She could feel his warmth once more, and she cherished.

"I must go. I love you all," she said as she turned to the silent group that had stood around the two. She looked at them all, and smiled. She would be happy so they remembered her happy face. She had gotten to see them once more, her wish was complete.

"Goodbye," she whispered as she turned her attention back to Naruto, looking into his deep pools, not wanting to leave but knowing she must. "I love you," she said as she saw her feet disappearing. Her time was almost up.

"Sakura don't leave, I need you," tears began to spill from his eyes. She held back her own, she didn't want his last memory of her to be a sad one. She just smiled at him, trying to pat his cheek again but found she couldn't.

"I'm sorry Naruto. It's my time. I'll always be with you. I love you," she said as she looked at him. Her mask faltered and she felt the tears falling. She didn't care. She was almost gone, her shoulders and head the last things left. "I love you," her head was disappearing, "Goodbye," the wind whispered as she disappeared. Naruto broke down, falling to his knees as well as some of the others. Tears fell from his face in streams.

"SAKURA!" he screamed over and over again as he pleaded for her to come back. He needed her, she couldn't be gone. He felt his mind wavering, and the fox starting to take control. He didn't care, he was to hurt.

He felt a warmth on his check and gasped. He felt a sense of peace and reassurance fill him, and he sadly smiled. The tears still fell, but he stood and picked Sakura's body up. He slowly began to walk off, the others trailing after him, offering each other support in actions and words.

Sakura just starred after them as she completely began to fade from the world, heading to her new destination. She knew that where she was going she would be able to watch over them always, to see them smile again. She sadly smiled and whispered her last goodbye to them all before she completely faded, and was gone from her world. But it would all be ok, she would always be with them, and they would always be with her, in her heart and memories, always.

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Well that is it. I hope everyone who read it loved it. Please review and tell me what you thought about it! Thank you all for reading it.


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